§499τὰς λαβὰς καὶ μὴ τἀκείνῳ συμφέροντα προκρῖναι.
[to take away] his advantages, and not to prefer what is advantageous to him.
οὐ γὰρ εἴ τι δύσκολον ἡμῖν ὑπάρχει πρὸς ἀλλήλους, τοῦτʼ αὐτὸν ἄγει νῦν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀγανακτοῦντα, ἀλλʼ ἵνʼ ἀμφοτέροις ἀποχρήσηται, διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτʼ ἀναζητεῖ.
For even if there is some difficulty between us, it is not this which leads him now to be indignant on your behalf, but it is in order that he may abuse both of us that he stirs up these things.
ὥσθʼ ὅσῳ ἂν πλεόνων εὐπορήσῃ, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἀπιστητέον αὐτῷ.
So that by how much more he abounds in pretexts, by so much the more must he be distrusted.
οὕτω τοίνυν οὐδʼ ἐκεῖνος ὑμῖν πιστεύει, ὥστʼ οὐχ ἁπλῶς αἰτῶν πέπομφε τὴν βοήθειαν, ὡς ἄν τις θαρρῶν τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἑλέσθαι φησὶν ὁπότερα βούλεσθε, ἢ συνεμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν, ἢ διεῖναι, ὡς ἄν τις μηδετέρου δικαίως τύχοι.
Thus, moreover, he does not trust you either, so that he has not sent to ask for help simply, as one who is confident in existing relations, but he says that you must choose whichever of the two you wish: either to join in invading Attica, or to let him pass through, as one who has no right to obtain either.
λογίζεσθε γὰρ, εἰ μὲν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, συνεμβάλοιτε, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον αὐτῷ χαρίσασθαι προέλοισθε, πλέονι χείρους γενέσθαι ἢ ʼκεῖνος ἐπήγγελκεν.
For consider, O Thebans, if you should join in the invasion, and should choose to gratify him in this way, that you would become far worse than he has demanded.
ὅταν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐξ ἴσου ποιῆται, ἄν θʼ ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν βούλησθε ἄν τε συστρατεύεσθαι, ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸ μεῖζον αἱρῆσθε, ὃ προστίθετʼ οἶμαι, τοῦτʼ εἰς ὑπερβολὴν φαυλότητος γίγνεται.
For when he makes it equal, whether you wish to remain quiet or to join in the campaign, but you choose the greater course—which is added to his side, I think—this turns into an excess of baseness.
καίτοι πῶς ἀνεκτὸν, ἢ πῶς δόξαν μετρίαν ἔχον, ὅταν μηδʼ ἀκούειν καθάπαξ τῶν δυναστῶν δέον, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις, ὑμεῖς ὧν ἐφʼ ὑμῖν ποιοῦνται τὰ μείζω χαρίζησθε καὶ παρέρχηται τὴν χρείαν ἡ προδοσία;
And yet how is it tolerable, or how can it bring a moderate reputation, when, though you ought not to listen to the rulers at all, and that too against Greeks and your own kinsmen, you gratify them with the greater things which they demand for your subjugation, and your treachery exceeds the necessity?
ἀλλὰ μὴν εἴ γε διήσετε, οὐκ εἰς χάριν ὑμῖν, ἀλλʼ εἰς ἔγκλημα ἀφίξεται τῷ χρόνῳ.
But indeed, if you let him pass, it will not turn out to your credit with him, but in time will become an accusation.
νῦν μὲν γὰρ οἶμαι τὸν καιρὸν θεραπεύων στέρξειν ἐπαγγέλλεται, εἰ δʼ ἀπαλλαγείη τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχθρας, πρόφασιν τὸ μὴ συστρατεύσασθαι ποιήσεται.
For now, I think, serving the occasion, he promises to be satisfied; but if he should be rid of his enmity towards us, he will make your failure to join the campaign a pretext against you.
καὶ τοῦτο παρʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ἤδη συμβεβηκότων ἔξεστι μαθεῖν.
And this is possible to learn from the very things that have already happened.
ὑμῖν γὰρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοῦτό ποτʼ ἐγκαλέσαντες τὸ μὴ συνεισβαλεῖν εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ εἰς πόλεμον κατέστησαν.
For the Lacedaemonians once made war on you, O Thebans, accusing you of this very thing, namely, your failure to join in the invasion of the Piraeus.
καὶ ὅτι παῖδες Λακεδαιμόνιοι πρὸς Φίλιππον εἰς δεινότητος λόγον καὶ τοῦ κακουργεῖν πάντες σύνισμεν δή που.
And we all know, I suppose, that in comparison with Philip, the Lacedaemonians are but children in point of cleverness and wrongdoing.
καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνο ἴσμεν περὶ Λακεδαιμονίων, ἐπεὶ καὶ τούτων ἐμνήσθην, ὅτι ἡνίκα μὲν τὸν πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπολέμουν, ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔφασκον ἐλευθερίας πολεμεῖν, καὶ τούτῳ τοὺς πολλοὺς προσήγοντο· ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἔπραξαν ἃ ἐβούλοντο, ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς τοὺς συμμάχους πρώτους ἐτράποντο καὶ τὸν πόλεμον εἰς ἐκείνους μετέστησαν.
And indeed we also know that other thing about the Lacedaemonians—since I have mentioned them—that when they were waging the war against us, they claimed to be fighting for the freedom of the Greeks, and by this they won over the multitude; but when they accomplished what they wanted, they turned first against their very allies and transferred the war to them.
§500Χίους μέν γε προθυμοτάτους τῶν νησιωτῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς γενομένους καὶ σχεδὸν πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἄρξαντας τῆς ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ἀποστάσεως τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ τὰ τείχη παρείλοντο, καὶ τοσούτων φυγῶν καὶ σφαγῶν ἐνέπλησαν, ὥστε εἰρήνην αὐτοῖς εἶναι δόξαι πάσας τὰς τοῦ πολέμου ταλαιπωρίας·
Indeed, from the Chians, who had been the most zealous of the islanders towards them, and had begun the revolt from us for almost all the Greeks, they took away their constitution and their walls, and filled them with so many banishments and slaughters, that all the hardships of the war seemed to them to be peace.
βασιλέα δὲ τὸν μέγαν ἐκ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἐπολιόρκουν, φρουρὰν δʼ ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς ἔφαινον, καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον εἰς Κόρινθον παρῆσαν.
And they besieged the Great King by land and sea, and threatened you with a garrison, and a little later they were present in Corinth.
ἂν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, καὶ νῦν ὁ Φίλιππος ἴδῃ τὰ ἐν χερσὶν ἀφέντας περὶ τῶν ὕστερον βουλεύεσθαι, τὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς πόλεμον θέμενος κατὰ νοῦν τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους μιμῆται καί τινος εὐπορήσας προφάσεως, ἢ καὶ χαίρειν ἁπάσας τὰς προφάσεις ἐάσας, ἁπλῶς οὕτως ὑμῖν ἐπιχειρῇ, πότερον καθʼ ἡμῶν τῶν Ἀθηναίων αὐτῷ ταῦθʼ ὑπηρετηκότες εἶναι φήσετε, ἢ καθʼ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν;
If therefore, O Thebans, now too Philip should see you neglecting the matters in hand to deliberate about later things, and, having settled the war against us according to his mind, should imitate the Lacedaemonians and, having found some pretext, or even bidding farewell to all pretexts, should simply attack you in this way, will you say that you performed these services for him against us Athenians, or against yourselves?
ποτέρως δʼ ἂν ἄμεινον ὦ πρὸς Διὸς αὐτὸν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν οἴεσθε καὶ προθυμότερον, πότερον εὐθενούντων ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἐχόντων ἥνπερ νῦν, ἢ μόνων ὑμῶν λειφθέντων καὶ μηδενὸς ὄντος ἀφʼ ἡμῶν φόβου τῷ τι νεωτερίζειν ἐπιχειροῦντι;
And in which of the two ways, by Zeus, do you think he would come against you more easily and with greater zeal: when we are flourishing and holding the very position which we have now, or when you alone are left and there is no fear from us for one who attempts to make any revolution?
καὶ μὴν τοσοῦτόν γʼ ἐπίστασθε, ὅτι εἰ τότʼ ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐνίκησε τὰ λεχθέντα ὑπό τινων, ὡς χρὴ τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν ἀνδραποδίσασθαι καὶ τὴν χώραν ἀνεῖναι μηλόβοτον, οὐκ ἂν ὅθʼ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὴν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς στρατείαν ἐποιοῦντο, ὡς οὕστινας ἔλθητε εἴχετε.
And indeed you know at least this much, that if at that time the proposal of certain persons had prevailed among the Greeks, that our city ought to be enslaved and its land left as a sheep-pasture, you would not have had anyone to go to when the Lacedaemonians made their expedition against you.
νῦν δὲ τὸ σωθῆναι καὶ περιγενέσθαι τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν εἰς δέον οὐ μόνον ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν, ὡς ἔοικε, τοῖς Ἕλλησι κατέστη.
But as it is, the safety and survival of our city has turned out to be opportune not only for you, but also, as it seems, for all the Greeks.
οὐκοῦν εὔδηλον ὡς οὐδʼ εἰ νῦν τι πάθοιμεν, τὰ καθʼ ὑμᾶς ἀκίνδυνα, οὐδʼ εἰ μηδέπω πρότεροι κινδυνεύετε, ἀλλὰ μίʼ ἡμέρα τά τʼ ἐκεῖ, καλὸν γὰρ οὕτω λέγειν, καὶ τἀνταῦθʼ εἰς τὸ δέον καταστήσει.
Therefore it is quite clear that not even if we should suffer anything now would your affairs be free from danger, not even if you are not yet the first to be in danger; but a single day will bring both the affairs there—for it is well to speak thus—and the affairs here to what is necessary.
σκέψασθε δὴ κἀκεῖνο ὅτι ὑμᾶς ᾐτιάσαντό τινες τὴν γνώμην ἐκείνην καθʼ ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν, ὑμεῖς δʼ ἐλθόντες παρῃτεῖσθε, λέγοντες ἀληθῆ, ὡς οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῆς πόλεως ἡ ψῆφος ἠνέχθη, ἀλλʼ εἷς ἀνὴρ εἶπε συνεδρεύων· ὥστʼ οὔτʼ ἐγκαλεῖν εἴχομεν ἔτι, βοηθεῖν τʼ ἐψηφισάμεθα.
Consider indeed also that, when some people accused you of having spoken that opinion against us, you came and begged off, speaking the truth, that the vote was not brought from the common body of the city, but that one man in the council had spoken it; so that we had no further cause to complain, and voted to assist you.
ἆρʼ οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐστι τότε μὲν τῷ μηδὲν περὶ ἡμῶν ἐψηφίσθαι
Is it then, O Thebans, characteristic of the same men, while at that time having voted nothing against us